Sometimes politicians just need a little help from their friends — particularly their friends in high places with cash reserves to spare.

Top congressional leaders are expected to help bankroll less-notable politicians in hotly contested races. And practically any member of Congress who wants to affect the election landscape can use their leadership PAC or campaign committee to guide on money to the front lines of critical contests.

The top beneficiaries of this generosity this cycle are some of the party’s most vulnerable incumbents and most promising challengers.

The top 20 beneficiaries of leadership PACs and candidate committees running for Senate seats represent a more diverse set of situations. Some are embattled incumbents. Others are high-profile politicos looking to hold their opponents at bay. Still others are challengers looking to pull an upset. The top 20 beneficiaries of such contributions running for House seats are more uniform, analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics shows: 18 are incumbents and just two are challengers.

The two House challengers ranked among the top recipients of cash from leadership PACs and their fellow candidates are Republican Steve Chabot, who is running to reclaim the seat he lost to Democrat Steve Driehaus in 2008, and Republican Tim Burns, who lost a special election earlier this year to Democrat Mark Critz to fill the vacancy created after the death of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.). Including money he raised during this special election, Burns has raised about $286,500 from these sources since January 2009, while Chabot has raised about $195,700. Political handicappers, such as the Cook Political Report, give the Critz a slight edge in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, but rank Ohio’s 1st Congressional District as a toss up, meaning either Chabot or Driehaus could prevail.

Kent Gates, a spokesman for the Burns campaign, said Burns would have been just as competitive during the special election even without the extra financial aid from lawmakers.

“We raised a lot of other money,” Gates told OpenSecrets Blog. “It was probably the most visible special election in the country after Rep. Murtha’s death.”

Christyn Keyes, a spokesperson Chabot, made the same assertion that his campaign would be competitive even without the help, although she agreed that every contribution from fellow Republicans helps.

“Mr. Chabot is very flattered that his former colleagues are fighting for him to return to the House, especially now when spending is out of control in the Democratic-controlled Congress,” Keyes told OpenSecrets Blog.

The two House candidates pulling in the most money from leadership PACs and candidate committees are both New York Democrats: Reps. Scott Murphy and Bill Owens. Both men were elected to Congress in special elections last year. Including money raised during their special election bids, Murphy has collected more than $446,300 from Democratic leadership PACs and candidate committees this cycle. Owens, meanwhile, has raised more than $342,200.

While Hoffman lost the Republican Party primary this year to run against Owens — that honor went to Matt Doheny, who, like Scozzafava, favors some abortion rights — Hoffman’s name will appear on the ballot under the Conservative Party, the banner he carried in 2009 as well. But on Tuesday, four weeks before Election Day, Hoffman dropped out of the race and endorsed Doheny, but it’s too late to remove Hoffman’s name from the ballot. Political handicappers, such as the Cook Political Report, give the Democratic slight edges in both of these races.

“Congressman Owens is pleased to have the support of his colleagues who know how focused he is on bringing job growth and economic development to Upstate and Central New York,” Owens spokesman Clay Schroers told OpenSecrets Blog.

Only one Republican incumbent appears on the list of House members collecting the most leadership PAC money: Charles Djou (R-Hawaii).

Djou has raised more than $207,500 from the candidate committees and leadership PACs of his fellow Republicans, including money he collected during his successful bid in May’s special election to fill the seat of Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), who resigned from the House to run for governor. The Cook Political Report currently ranks Djou’s reelection bid against Democrat Colleen Hanabusa as a toss up, although some political observers give a slight edge to the Hanabusa.

On the Senate side, the candidate to rake in the most money from leadership PACs and other candidate committees is Republican Roy Blunt, a sitting congressman running to replace retiring Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond in Missouri. Blunt, who has occupied leadership roles within the House Republican caucus, has raised more than $565,900 from these sources, since January 2005, the start of a senator’s six-year election cycle.

Incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) ranks No. 2 on the list of top Senate beneficiaries of leadership PAC and candidate committee contributions. She pulled in about $550,000 since January 2005, much of it for use during a grueling primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, whose bid nearly toppled Lincoln and forced her into a run-off earlier this spring. Lincoln now faces an uphill battle against Republican John Boozman, who holds about a 20-point lead over Lincoln in recent polls.

Other congressmen-turned-Senate candidates also rank highly among Senate candidate recipients of contributions from their political brethren.

For instance, Republican Rob Portman, a former congressman who also served in President George W. Bush’s cabinet, ranks No. 6 and has collected $350,500 from these sources for his Senate bid in Ohio.

And Democrat Kendrick Meek, a sitting congressman whofended off a contentious Senate primary challenge from billionaire Jeff Greene, ranks No. 7. Meek has raised more than $345,000 for his campaign against Republican Marco Rubio and Republican-turned-independent Charlie Crist in Florida. (Rubio, who has netted about $209,400 from these sources, doesn’t quite make the list of top beneficiaries.)

The Republican challenger to Reid — Sharron Angle — also ranks among the top beneficiaries as party leaders hope to oust the powerful Democrat and maybe even gain control of the Senate. Republicans Pat Toomey and Mark Kirk, who are vying to fill open seats in Pennsylvania and Illinois, respectively, rank highly in receipts from these sources.

Media Contact

Viveca Novak
(202) 354-0111
press@crp.org

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